The Teeccino Story

The First Herbal Coffee: A Dream Becomes Reality

Many creative people find inspiration through their dreams. For dreams to become reality however, a healthy amount of experience and energy must be part of the mix. With over 20 years in the herb tea industry, Caroline MacDougall, the founder of Teeccino had formulated a wide variety of herb-based beverages for numerous industry manufacturers. In the fall of 1993, Caroline was busy developing herbal teas for the new Republic of Tea line. One morning she awoke to hear herself say, "The next product I want to develop is a caffeine-free cappuccino and the name of the product will be Teeccino!"

From the Cradle of the Mediterranean...

During her career as an herbal tea designer, Caroline had created a wide variety of teas, but one gap remained. Nowhere in the tea world is there a caffeine-free match for robust, roasted coffee. Teeccino was created to capture that unmistakable, rich Mediterranean flavor.

While creating Teeccino, Caroline realized that all the ingredients she was using in the formula were originally from the Mediterranean and part of the healthy Mediterranean diet for centuries. She envisioned the package labels with a different Mediterranean image for each flavor.

As a tea drinker becoming initiated into the diverse world of coffee brewing, Caroline became intrigued with all the Mediterranean coffee brewing methods including drip coffee makers, the French press pot and the Italian stove-top espresso maker. She expanded her original concept from making herbal cappuccinos in espresso machines to developing Teeccino to drip or brew just like coffee.

By the summer of 1994, Caroline began designing the Teeccino labels. Gina Amador, the designer of The Republic of Tea's labels, took Caroline's concepts and developed the luggage tag images from the Mediterranean using a different country and shape for each flavor. Jennifer Ewing, a San Francisco artist, produced original paintings for each Mediterranean scene.

Teeccino Caffeine-Free Herbal Coffee is Born!

Teeccino Caffé, Inc, introduced Teeccino Caffeine-free Herbal Coffee to the natural and specialty food markets in 1995. The Company manufactures Teeccino using Caroline's proprietary formula and process. Teeccino is nationally distributed to natural food and specialty grocery stores nationwide. The Company also ships directly to wholesale accounts in the spa, food service and holistic health care markets.

According to data from Spins, the leading sales tracking information company to the natural foods industry, Teeccino is the foremost coffee alternative brand in the country with more than a 50% share of the market!

A number of endorsements from healthcare practitioners and health educators have helped to publicize Teeccino by recommending it in their best selling books and newsletters. A growing group of health care practitioners use Teeccino to help their patients who suffer from conditions that are aggravated by coffee to eliminate caffeine and coffee from their diets. Weight loss diets recommend Teeccino as part of their programs and skin care specialists refer clients to Teeccino who want to improve their skin by quitting caffeine.

Caroline's rainforest work from the early 1990's in Central America, helping indigenous communities develop markets for their exportable products such as honey, vanilla and herbs came full circle with the launch of the Teeccino Organic Maya flavors in 2007. Featuring dark roasted ramon nuts, a nutrient-rich food of the Maya civilization that is wild harvested in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, Teeccino Maya flavors have created trade for a novel ingredient that helps preserve the rainforest.

With a clean, pure flavor profile that is preferred by those who enjoy dark roasted, unsweetened coffee, the Organic Maya flavors broaden the appeal of Teeccino to meet more coffee drinker’s flavor preferences. The Maya flavors combine the best of the Mediterranean's carob, barley and chicory with a coffee-like nut from the rainforests that is high in potassium, fiber, and tryptophan, the feel-good amino acid that the body converts into serotonin.

Teeccino’s Boutique Flavors Meet Growing Demand From Teeccino Fans

2700 Teeccino fans voted for their favorite flavors that they want to drink in Teeccino. In response, Caroline got to work and created Teeccino’s Boutique flavor line to be sold exclusively on the Teeccino website. Using both Mediterranean and Maya flavor profiles for medium and dark roasted flavors, Caroline has created a range of new Teeccino flavors that the Company plans to continually roll out. Watch for monthly specials on new Boutique flavors.